Question 1

How is symbolic interactionism theory consistent with social work values including social justice, self-determination, the dignity and worth of each person, and the importance of human relationships?

Accepted Answer

Goffman's work on stigmatization and total institutions puts forth a potentially scathing critique of society's treatment of those on the margins, and provides social workers with a broad framework for challenging unjust social policies and institutional practices regarding their treatment of disenfranchised persons. Interactionists view humans as free and able to make their own decisions; this idea is consistent with social work values of self-determination and the dignity and worth of each person. Finally, symbolic interactionism, with its emphasis on the centrality of social interaction and the importance of primary groups which help to form individual's ideals and shape the growth and development of individuals and society, supports the importance of relationships as a core social work value.

Question 2

A straight "A" student who would avoid a difficult teacher is best explained by which of the following concepts?

Accepted Answer

A)   face
B)   stigma
C)   total institution
D)   role A

Question 3

______ developed a dramaturgical approach that analyzed the social order of human interactions, which includes common rituals and routines.

Accepted Answer

A)   Cooley
B)   Mead
C)   Goffman
D)   Weber C

Question 4

What is TRUE about early forms of the social work profession?

Accepted Answer

A)   Its professionals developed an academic discipline focusing on a "value free science" perspective.
B)   It focused on macro-level social phenomena that allowed for collection of observable data.
C)   It placed the emphasis on developing a set of skills that were identifiable as "professional" in nature.
D)   Its research was based on quantitative methods that placed an emphasis on the value of science.

Question 5

What are the three theoretical assumptions of symbolic interactionism?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are the three theoretical assumptions of...

Question 6

Which of the following statements is consistent with symbolic interactionlism?

Accepted Answer

A)   Humans are simply shaped by nature and culture.
B)   Humans can act upon their environments and heredity.
C)   The self is understood a static entity, not a process.
D)   Humans think based on how they act.

Question 7

Which of the following statements is consistent with symbolic interactionlism?

Accepted Answer

A)   Everything about humans is stable and fixed.
B)   Society is a static, not dynamic, entity.
C)   Humans are always acting according to earlier influences.
D)   Human action is unpredictable due to situational factors.

Question 8

A two-year-old child uses quite foul language and carries a beer without having any understanding of what she is saying or doing. According to symbolic interactionlism, the child is in the ______ of the emergence of self.

Accepted Answer

A)   reference group stage
B)   play stage
C)   preparatory stage
D)   game stage

Question 9

Compare and contrast reference groups and primary groups.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Compare and contrast reference groups and primary...

Question 10

Elaborate on Mead's idea of the self.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Elaborate on Mead's idea of the self....

Question 11

Our concept of self develops from seeing how others respond to us. This phenomenon is defined as ______.

Accepted Answer

A)   Symbolic interaction
B)   Generalized other
C)   Reference groups
D)   The looking glass self

Question 12

What is the similarity between the major two social work thinkers, Mary Richmond and Jane Addams?

Accepted Answer

A)   They used a more medically-based perspective in their attempt to arrive at the "social diagnosis."
B)   They emphasized the importance of understanding the cultural and social conditions in which clients existed.
C)   They acknowledged the importance of both person and environment when developing strategies to try to help clients.
D)   They emphasized the importance of relationship between the worker and the client as a product of their interactions.

Question 13

Interactionists believe that as humans evolved with language and the ability to reason, they were able to turn back on nature itself, actively directing how natural forces act. This statement demonstrates the importance of which of the following symbolic interactionist theme?

Accepted Answer

A)   the definition of the situation
B)   the role of the active human being
C)   everything about humans as a process
D)   the combined role of thinking and action

Question 14

According to Cooley, which of the following statement about the self is correct?

Accepted Answer

A)   The self arises as a reflection of others on the self.
B)   The self is separable from social dimensions.
C)   The self is separable our autonomous interpretations.
D)   The self is developed from how others respond to us.

Question 15

According to Mead, behavior only includes action that can be directly observed.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

Regarding symbolic interactionism theory, which of the following statement is TRUE?

Accepted Answer

A)   People define their situation as action unfolds rather than sensing their environment directly.
B)   A social reality exists independent of people's interpretation, definition, and interaction with themselves.
C)   People respond to an objective reality directly rather than defining the situation as it exists.
D)   Humans only exist in a social reality which is created by interacting with themselves and a social world.

Question 17

______ is a mind activity and involves imagining the world from the perspective of others and directing one's actions accordingly.

Accepted Answer

A)   Meditation
B)   Dialectics
C)   Mindfulness
D)   Role-taking

Question 18

Symbolic interactionists do NOT believe that there is an objective reality that exists independent of our interpretation or definition.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

A four-year old child enjoys playing Uno with the "rules" he comes up with during the course of the game. According to symbolic interactionlism, he is in the ______ of the emergence of self.

Accepted Answer

A)   reference group stage
B)   play stage
C)   preparatory stage
D)   game stage

Question 20

Mead defined the ______ as the larger social context which gives meaning to our individual behaviors.

Accepted Answer

A)   symbolic interaction
B)   generalized other
C)   reference groups
D)   the looking glass self

Exam 9: Symbolic Interactionism

How is symbolic interactionism theory consistent with social work values including social justice, self-determination, the dignity and worth of each person, and the importance of human relationships?

A straight "A" student who would avoid a difficult teacher is best explained by which of the following concepts?

______ developed a dramaturgical approach that analyzed the social order of human interactions, which includes common rituals and routines.

What is TRUE about early forms of the social work profession?

What are the three theoretical assumptions of symbolic interactionism?

Which of the following statements is consistent with symbolic interactionlism?

Which of the following statements is consistent with symbolic interactionlism?

A two-year-old child uses quite foul language and carries a beer without having any understanding of what she is saying or doing. According to symbolic interactionlism, the child is in the ______ of the emergence of self.

Compare and contrast reference groups and primary groups.

Elaborate on Mead's idea of the self.

Our concept of self develops from seeing how others respond to us. This phenomenon is defined as ______.

What is the similarity between the major two social work thinkers, Mary Richmond and Jane Addams?

Interactionists believe that as humans evolved with language and the ability to reason, they were able to turn back on nature itself, actively directing how natural forces act. This statement demonstrates the importance of which of the following symbolic interactionist theme?

According to Cooley, which of the following statement about the self is correct?

According to Mead, behavior only includes action that can be directly observed.

Regarding symbolic interactionism theory, which of the following statement is TRUE?

______ is a mind activity and involves imagining the world from the perspective of others and directing one's actions accordingly.

Symbolic interactionists do NOT believe that there is an objective reality that exists independent of our interpretation or definition.

A four-year old child enjoys playing Uno with the "rules" he comes up with during the course of the game. According to symbolic interactionlism, he is in the ______ of the emergence of self.

Mead defined the ______ as the larger social context which gives meaning to our individual behaviors.